Traditons and Collections

Our family has quite a few wonderful Christmas traditions, so I thought I would share three of my favorite. The first one is something we've been doing for the last 9-10 years. One of the leaders I worked with in Young Womens wrote a poem that we used for an activity where we drove around the valley looking at Christmas lights, then we left this poem with a treat and door-bell ditched the house with extra cool lights. The YW enjoyed it so much that I thought it would be a fun thing to do with our family. So we did it the next year and have been doing it ever since. The kids each have three houses they can pick and be the one to door-bell ditch (they usually want someone to go with them). It's a great activity to spend time together, see the sights, and be do something kind for someone else. This is what the poem says:

This chilly, dark December night,

We decided to look at Christmas lights.

We hopped in the car and drove around,

To seek out the best lights in the town.

As we drove past your home, we were delighted,

What a marvelous display we had sighted.

This little gift is to show you we care,

Thanks for the Christmas spirit you share!



The second tradition is something we started doing about the same time as the Christmas lights and it is going to SLC sometime between Christmas and New Years and staying overnight in a hotel. We always walk around temple square looking at the lights, see a movie, go swimming, eat out, and do a little shopping. It's something to look forward to after Christmas is over, and again, a great time to be together as a family.



The last one is our gift to Jesus on Christmas Eve. This tradition we've been doing for probably 14-15 years. The last thing we do before going to bed on Christmas Eve is write on a piece of paper a gift we will give to Jesus the coming year. We then place them in a special box, then the first thing we do on Christmas morning is read aloud to everyone what our gift will be. I type everyone's up, and place them in a visible place for us to be reminded of what we said we'd do during the coming year. It's a great way to be reminded what Christmas is all about.



I love the collections I have of Christmas decorations. The one I've been working on the longest, and try to add to each year is my nativity collection. It started the year we were married by an etched glass one from Janet and Dave. Each one holds a special memory of where I got it, or who gave it to me. The second picture were all grouped together for the picture- I have them spread around the living room in a much nicer way. . .

This is my Santa Claus collection. Once again, they're spread around better- this isn't how my room really looks. I haven't added to this collection for several years. I really don't have anywhere else to put any more!

For the last 7 years, the boys have gotten a nutcracker for Christmas, so this is their collection. I will really miss it when they move away and take these with them!

I have stitched many a pillow over the past 9 or so years. I made all the pillows on this nativity tree, and all of the ones on display on the couch, except for the big nativity one in the middle which my friend Janae made, and another smaller one my friend and neighbor Marnie made. I have made many, many other pillows that I've given away as gifts, along with 4 other wall hanging nativities. Stitching is a great way to keep myself occupied on trips in the car, and sitting home watching TV.